Chateau Montelena Napa Chardonnay and Gary Farrell Durell Vineyard Sonoma County Chardonnay are two wines named among 15 bottles in the $50-100 range that are worth splurging on. For the 2020 Napa Chardonnay from Montelena, author Brian Freedman writes, “Taut and with tons of promise for the future, this citrus- and mineral-driven Chardonnay is already a vibrant treat. Incisive flavors of hard apples mingle with white tea, chamomile, lemon, passionfruit, and white cardamom, and it all finishes with a lingering whiff of dried springtime flowers. In a difficult year, Bo Barrett, Matt Crafton, and their team have produced a wine of real beauty.” For the 2020 from Gary Farrell, he writes “Mature and energetic, with nuance and brightness to spare, this is showing its vineyard pedigree very well. Lemon-based acidity is joined by dried apricots, mashed almonds, fennel bulb, a hint of woodsy spice, and a finish of marzipan, and honey-coated sesame seeds.” Both of these wines are worth seeking out!
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Chateau Montelena
Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay
Napa Valley, California
Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay combines the best of the old-world structure, acidity and grace, with California ripeness and texture. Having zero malolactic notes and limited oak, this style Chardonnay focuses on the importance of vintage, vineyard, and pure varietal character. The bright acidity builds nuanced complexity for 10-30 years. To showcase the ageability of this wine, the vintage of a half-decade prior is re-released alongside the current vintage.
Related Producers
Chateau Montelena
Calistoga, Napa Valley, California
Chateau Montelena is renowned for consistently producing age-worthy, classically-styled wines that capture the nuances of each vintage and its distinct terroir. Widely known for winning the Judgment of Paris in 1976, it helped put California at the forefront of the wine world. Today, the winery is honored on the National Register of Historic Places and continues to be owned and operated by the Barrett Family.
Gary Farrell Winery
Russian River Valley, California
For over 40 years, Gary Farrell Winery has crafted small-lot artisan wines capturing balance and stylistic elegance from some of the finest vineyard sites in the Russian River Valley. Since 2014, the current owners have been dedicated to enhancing Gary Farrell’s legacy with a single-minded focus on quality, relying on rigorous vineyard selection, outstanding grower relationships and superior quality fruit.